Young bachelor looking to relocate (possibly Leadville, Buena Vista, Salida?) (Denver: real estate, renting)

[Dogmama50]

You may want to check into VRBO rentals also for you interim stay, might give you a little more privacy from a hotel and you could speak with the owners about wifi service.

Congrats on being able to make the move!

[RockyMtnXpress]

I live a few miles outside of Salida. Moved here semi-officially January of 14. I have been told that communication connections will have bottlenecks during certain times of the day (4 or 5 pm for example and perhaps the reason for dropping your speed). Everything becomes reliant upon a few archaic pieces of equipment or the lack of equipment to handle the expanding growth of new hardware. It's rural living! What can I say?

Welcome interloper!

[flyonpa]

Few Items....

You should look for a place to stay that is on DSL or Cable Internet, If they are using a Satellite Uplink the Latency for VPN and/or Skype does get a bit much.

4-5pm I live in a a heavily Fiber'ed area. I can tell when the Middle/HS schools get out based on response time, changes.

All those Xbox and video streaming kick in big time then,

[interloper1138]

Thanks for the responses, everyone! I've reached out to a few hotels, but the ones that seem to have solidly reliable internet are a little too pricey in the event that I would need to stay longer than a few weeks. I've noticed quite a few month-to-month rentals with utilities included in the Mountain Mail classifieds, lately. I may just go that route while hunting for a better deal.

For those of you that have relocated long-distance (wherever that might be), what was your strategy?

Also, does there seem to be an ideal time for rental availability? I would imagine that most of the good rentals are grabbed before spring is over, correct?

Thanks again!

[Lugnuts]

Have you considered a hostel until you find something more permanent?:

The Simple Lodge & Hostel - Salida, Colorado Reviews

GL

[interloper1138]

Originally Posted by Lugnuts

Have you considered a hostel until you find something more permanent?:

The Simple Lodge & Hostel - Salida, Colorado Reviews

GL

I had looked into staying at that hostel, actually, but I don't think it would work in the event that I would need to work while staying there. While it seems like a great place, the reviews say that it can be pretty noisy at times. I don't think it would work out as a makeshift office if I needed to stay longer than the 7-10 days that I plan on taking off from work when I move. That's the one real problem with my job, I need a quiet place to work from.

Ideally I'd like to have a rental all lined up before I leave, but I hate to sign a lease on a place without first seeing it in person.

[Lugnuts]

Airbnb?

[interloper1138]

Originally Posted by Lugnuts

Airbnb?

Heh, already looked into those, too. Looks like there are several in town that could be a good fit that aren't too pricey. Never stayed at one before, but there's a first time for everything!

[ken6000]

Hello there, Interloper... I think you are wise in going with this idea of living in CO to experience it now, while you are young, single (especially since you don't seem to be as hung up on dating as most people are), and have decent income. I spent a lot of time kicking around the idea of living in a small-ish CO or other Western state town. I took a very long look at Durango and Telluride, Taos and Santa Fe. I decided 15 years ago to settle in little, but gorgeous, Idyllwild, CA. While that is a LONG way from Salida, CO, here are a few thoughts and similarities that I thought you'd maybe find helpful:

First, I've really come to appreciate being a couple hours from a population center (LA, Orange County, San Diego within 2 hours and Palm Springs and Temecula in 45 minutes). You'll be just over 2 hours from Colorado Springs. Having that large city as a back-up employment source, even if you don't do a nightmarish daily commute, is valuable. I commuted twice a week to the Anaheim area, and eventually got a second place, a small shared housing arrangement, near the beach. Now I commute once a week and stay a few days. I still get to live on my beautiful mountain and not have to depend on the typical "poverty economy" up here. You might find a similar situation works for you if your long-distance employment either becomes unreliable or you need to upgrade.

Second, even though I love small towns, remote places and (of course) elevation, I find that I tend to "wear out" a small town like Idyllwild - 4,500 people - fairly fast. It's the old cabin fever thing. Being a couple hours from a big place is a relief valve. While CO Springs has a lot of people, it still is like an overgrown suburb in many ways. Fortunately, Denver is just under three hours away.

Third, well... I also had to eventually deal with the sad joke of a dating scene that exists in a typical small mountain town. I actually moved away from Idyllwild for several years, in part because I was fed up with that. Living in Fullerton helped with the dating, but my heart dragged me (literally) back to the mountains. Dating for me - and I'm perhaps about twice your age - is still a rather weird process, but at least having a small place in the city helps with that. You might find someone in CO Springs and go back and forth to each others' places. That could be cool.

Finally, unless you've already set yourself up with a place to live, I suggest renting a room in a house for a while. That's what I do near the beach, and while it isn't the greatest thing, it gives you a way to have a bed, bathroom and cooking facilities rather inexpensively.

Best of luck, and keep walking shoulder to shoulder with your dreams...

[interloper1138]

Hey, everyone. Thought I would go ahead and give another update.

I made it!

Next Tuesday I'll have been in Salida for two weeks. I managed to find (yet another) great deal on a two bedroom apartment that is right downtown. Cannot beat the location! It took a ton of phone calls before I could secure a place, but I managed to get it all sorted out before I moved, which made everything so much less stressful.

It still feels a little surreal. I planned this for over a year and it's finally happened, due in no small part to the tremendously helpful advice that everyone here was kind enough to offer me. I can't thank all of you enough, and especially to those of you who I pestered with PMs over the last year. Getting here was a long process, and I realize that making it work long-term is going to be even more of a challenge, but I've got some things I'm working on, and I'm very hopeful for the future.

That all said, if anyone in the area ever wants to meet up for lunch, a coffee, a beer, etc, PM me! I'm just as anxious to get out and make new friends as I am to start enjoying all that Chaffee County has to offer.

Thank you all again so much for all of your helpful advice over the last year! I'll see you all around the forum.